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Post by beachhappy22 on Oct 19, 2019 12:32:28 GMT
My 16 yr old DS has been working hard & saving so he can purchase a gaming computer. The ones he has looked at are a lot of money & I want to make sure he gets exactly what he wants & not regret such a big decision in a few months.
He found a few on amazon ( I would prefer he bought local in case there is an issue) plus he talked to a worker at Best Buy. Of course the BB rep tried to up sell him. I know nothing about gaming computers other than what I have googled.
Any gamers out there that can help this mom steer her son in the right decision? To add, he is a junior in high school with plans to study computer science/cybersecurity in college. Thinking he will likely need another expensive computer at that point.
thanks!
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Post by Basket1lady on Oct 19, 2019 12:42:06 GMT
My DS is a big gamer and is an electrical engineer who graduated in May. He has bought his last two through Dell. You can buy a pre-built computer, a custom one, or a hybrid mix of both. His first computer lasted him 6 years and he’s had this last one for about 18 months. I think I paid about $800 for the first one that made it all through HS and most of college, and $1,000 for this last one. And I know he uses a second (external) monitor with the newer computer. He did his own research, so I can’t say the specs he got. But your DS will likely know that if he’s interested in computers.
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Post by freecharlie on Oct 19, 2019 13:03:57 GMT
I would leave it to your ds to research and determine what he needs.
Ds's gaming/schooling laptop was about $1300.
Gaming computers are more expensive because they need memory and better graphic cards among other things.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Oct 19, 2019 13:08:59 GMT
If you are a Costco member, I would definitely check there too. Their return policy, complimentary warranty extension and concierge set up service for electronics are far superior to what most places offer. I did a lot of research before buying my last two laptops there and found the prices to be very competitive for what I needed, plus with the rebates from having an executive membership and the credit card rewards made it an even better deal.
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Post by beachhappy22 on Oct 19, 2019 13:14:56 GMT
Thanks for the advice ladies. DS is doing his research, I am trying to educate myself as he is the instant gratification kid & I would like no regrets.
I never thought to check Costco! Will let him know.
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LeaP
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,939 
Location: Los Angeles, CA where 405 meets 101
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Post by LeaP on Oct 19, 2019 14:13:06 GMT
I can recommend something from the Alien family from Dell. One of the new Alien laptops allows you to change (upgrade) the graphics card when needed. The graphics card (i.e. Nvidia) is very important for a gaming computer because games are graphics intensive. Also, if your son becomes interested in making games, a good gaming computer with a good graphics card will allow him to run game engine software.
ETA: I would not buy a computer from Amazon. I have found their customer service overly complicated for simple things. Best Buy, Dell are more equipped to address a problem when problems come up. Also, make sure he looks into some robust anti-virus ware. We have had an Alien for three years and it is, for the most part, going strong. The led system that lights up the CPU like a "take me to your leader" look is on the blink. The monitor failed after the first year and Dell swapped it out free of charge.
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Post by danalz on Oct 19, 2019 14:34:29 GMT
My DH says that the Dell outlet would have good prices. They usually have the XPS and Alienware systems. Woot sometimes has good deals on gaming PC's.
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Post by jeremysgirl on Oct 19, 2019 14:43:43 GMT
If he is computer savvy, I am surprised he doesn't want to build it himself. My son has been building his computer for the last 5 years. He is a huge gamer and he prefers to implement his own new pieces and parts as technology moves.
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pancakes
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,992
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Post by pancakes on Oct 19, 2019 14:45:59 GMT
My husband builds and sells gaming computers as a hobby when he gets home from work, ha. I can ask him.
But three questions:
1. Is your son looking for something that’s ready out of the box?
2. Is he looking for a laptop or a desktop (more potential with the latter)
3. What’s his budget
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Post by Jennifer C on Oct 19, 2019 16:15:23 GMT
My dh and both kids both have Alienware. My husband used to build his own and he likes that he can upgrade them with no problem.
He went with Alien because of time constraints.
Jennifer
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Post by andreasmom on Oct 19, 2019 16:46:15 GMT
Acer Predator or Nitro 5 ( both at Best Buy) - good out of the box gaming machines, and will probably have killer deals on Black Friday.
Razer and MSI are also very well known for their gaming hardware.
At some point he will want to build his own. Then he can research all components (i just know out of the box)
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Post by gale w on Oct 19, 2019 16:50:58 GMT
My son built his own gaming computer (just built his 2nd one). I'm not sure of specifics but he was very choosy about the graphics card and also prefers ssd to hdd. He does have a regular hard drive on it but only for storage. His current one is also liquid cooled since heat is apparently a big issue with gaming computers. ETA: it looks like a rainbow 😂 He has since changed it so it starts out looking like a rainbow but turns white as the software/hardware loads. stevengale.smugmug.com/Other/2017-blog/i-Zf7NrWn |
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Post by beachhappy22 on Oct 19, 2019 16:53:29 GMT
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pancakes
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,992
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Post by pancakes on Oct 19, 2019 18:17:33 GMT
My husband says that is a good option. But he does want to know: What kind of monitor — including model number — does he have? Because that will determine what kind of graphics card you should get. The computer from Best Buy is a good deal but only has an RX590, which will be good for 1080p gaming and VR but will struggle at higher resolutions, such as 4K |
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Post by nellej on Oct 19, 2019 20:06:45 GMT
I spent lots of time researching gaming computers for my teenage nephew last Christmas. Went with a HP Omen PC plus a Dell monitor. Look out for Black Friday deals.
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Post by beachhappy22 on Oct 19, 2019 20:35:45 GMT
My husband says that is a good option. But he does want to know: What kind of monitor — including model number — does he have? Because that will determine what kind of graphics card you should get. The computer from Best Buy is a good deal but only has an RX590, which will be good for 1080p gaming and VR but will struggle at higher resolutions, such as 4K He has not picked out a monitor but said he would prefer one around $100 or less. Any suggestions? |
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Post by beachhappy22 on Oct 19, 2019 20:38:14 GMT
I spent lots of time researching gaming computers for my teenage nephew last Christmas. Went with a HP Omen PC plus a Dell monitor. Look out for Black Friday deals. I mentioned waiting until Black Friday but he is ansy to do this soon. He has put aside money from his paychecks for quite awhile & does not want to wait. |
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Post by yivit on Oct 20, 2019 0:02:40 GMT
I don't think he'll be happy with any monitor that's in that price range.
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samantha25
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Posts: 2,890
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Post by samantha25 on Oct 20, 2019 0:24:18 GMT
Monitor is important, too. I just splurged with two ASUS ROG Swift IPS gaming monitors with g-sync $550 at micro center on a new Dell XPS 8930 with GEForce 2070 RTX ($2000). My Dell computers have lasted more than 10 years, so I'm hoping this will last that long, too. Check out Micro Center... not sure if there's a store near you. They are really knowledgeable.
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Post by beachhappy22 on Oct 20, 2019 1:17:48 GMT
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Post by beachhappy22 on Oct 20, 2019 1:21:13 GMT
Monitor is important, too. I just splurged with two ASUS ROG Swift IPS gaming monitors with g-sync $550 at micro center on a new Dell XPS 8930 with GEForce 2070 RTX ($2000). My Dell computers have lasted more than 10 years, so I'm hoping this will last that long, too. Check out Micro Center... not sure if there's a store near you. They are really knowledgeable. The closest Micro Center is 5 hours away.  |
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Post by freecharlie on Oct 20, 2019 1:27:00 GMT
Ds used a TV as a monitor at home...I think
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pancakes
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,992
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Post by pancakes on Oct 20, 2019 6:53:30 GMT
My husband says that is a good option. But he does want to know: What kind of monitor — including model number — does he have? Because that will determine what kind of graphics card you should get. The computer from Best Buy is a good deal but only has an RX590, which will be good for 1080p gaming and VR but will struggle at higher resolutions, such as 4K He has not picked out a monitor but said he would prefer one around $100 or less. Any suggestions? His budget should be around $150. This is the best monitor you’ll get for roughly that, and it will work great with the computer he’s interested in. Sceptre 24" Curved 144Hz Gaming LED Monitor Edge-Less AMD FreeSync DisplayPort HDMI, Metal Black 2019 (C248B-144RN) www.amazon.com/dp/B07MTMCNLX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_4naRDb5CFGM2D |
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pancakes
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,992
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Post by pancakes on Oct 20, 2019 6:56:32 GMT
The graphics card in the computer he’s considering is able to push higher frame rates than what that monitor can handle (75 hz). That Acer monitor will be a bottleneck for the system. You would want something with a higher refresh rate and ideally with freesync. He says you want to match up a graphics card with a monitor — or else you’re overspending somewhere, if that makes sense. |
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